عشق آمریکایی من (پنج. دل بی‌قرار)

My American Love

        Thirty-Two Poems for Wendy

Five.

Anxious Heart

By Majid Naficy

What does this empty nutshell mean?

“It is the emblem of a gravestone,

A forthcoming death on the road,

A bed without a mate,

And a terracotta rooftop

With lightless windows.”

And what is this red stain

Congealed on the oak tabletop?

“It is the sign of a bleeding sore,

A never-healing wound,

The stigmata of the Saint of Assisi.”

And what are these wooden coasters

Scattered over the cryptic lines of the table?

And the spiral corkscrew

Waiting for your fingers

Like an open fountain-pen?

………..

Oh, you who find bad omens in everything,

Get up and remove the empty wine glasses

And clear your anxious heart

With a sponge and some cleansing gel.

She will arrive at her destination

And cheer you up with a single call.

You will see her at this table again

And you will read her this poem

While sipping your wine.

                September 3, 2002 

POEMS: 1. On the Bridge, ۲. I Hope the Water Returns, ۳. Empty Baskets ۴. Coffee Maker ۵. Anxious Heart